Commercial Aircraft

The composites content in each new aircraft program has grown significantly since the introduction of Prepregs in the 1970’s. Composites are now essential materials in the construction of all aircraft and the commercial aerospace industry is the largest user of Hexcel’s advanced composites.

In new wide bodied aircraft like the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350 XWB composites account for over 50% of the airframe. Hexcel was proud to be awarded by the Airbus contract to supply HexPly® prepreg reinforced with HexTow® carbon fiber for all the primary structures of the A350XWB.

For the Boeing 787, innovation teams throughout Hexcel developed and qualified hundred of parts made of HexMC® a moldable prepreg material that enables complex-shaped detail parts to be made in composites which could previously only be made from metal, resulting in important weight savings.